Tennis trophy goes west

Tennis’s Lucas Cup headed back over the hill to Nelson on Sunday, the visitors prevailing by the barest of margins in the annual tie contested this year at the Marlborough Tennis Centre.

After a series of doubles, singles and mixed doubles matches, played in blazing sunshine, Nelson finally got the better of their senior rep rivals on a countback of sets won after the matches were tied 8-8.

Scores were even after the straight doubles and singles matches had been played, leaving just the four mixed doubles to decide the issue. However, again honours were even, the destination of the prized trophy ultimately decided by a countback of sets won, with Nelson in the ascendancy 19-18.

The opening round of men’s doubles offered up plenty of exciting action. In the top match Marlborough’s Hamish Morrow and Chris Nott had a battle royal with their Nelson rivals Oscar Symonds and Zak Lyttle, the visitors eventually prevailing 7-6, 5-7, 10-8 in a super tiebreaker. The other match saw Marlborough’s Brooke Adams and Glen Cameron level the tie with a 7-6, 2-6, 13-11 win over Dave Averill and Jules Day.

The women’s matches were also shared, Marlborough duo Amber Lyons and Donna Clark defeating Suzanne Spencer and Mandy Beynon 6-3, 6-4, then Eveline Apthorp van der Linden and Anna Simpson losing 6-4, 6-0 to Eleni Hogg and Claire Williamson.

Singles wins to Morrow, Nott, Adams and Lyons kept Marlborough in the running, before mixed victories to Ant Walkenhorst and Clark, plus Nott and Simpson, ensured the calculators came out to decide the victor.